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Azienda Agricola Ottella

Azienda Agricola Ottella was founded in 1880 and the Montresor family has been grape growers for many generations at the Southern end of Lake Garda, near Peschiera del Garda in the D.O.C. (northwest Italy). The winery is named after a legend that says some octuplets were born at the farm in the 16th century, and the family had immortalized the tradition naming the winery "Ottella".

History

Date Founded: 1880

Owner: Lodovico, Francesco and Michele Montresor

The challenge that Lodovico, Francesco and Michele Montresor decided to take on in Lugana was based on the firm conviction that gifted, high-class wines from quality strains must be recognisable from the way they are produced.

This is the basis for the creation of conceptually modern wines with absolute respect for the vital combination of soil and vine.

Winery/Vineyards

The family owns 25 hectares (61.75 acres) of vines planted on a very typical clayey soil, and favorably influenced by the proximity of the Lake Garda. The family also owns a small parcel called "Le Creete", planted on a white chalky soil that gives the wine its exceptional character.

VINETrebbiano di Lugana, known locally as “Turbiana”. It is genetically similar to Verdicchio, according to many experts, but in phenological, agronomical and enological terms, it stands apart. Recent studies at Milan University confirmed that the genome of “Trebbiano di Lugana” has characteristics that cannot be attributed to other Trebbiani.The traditional system is double bow Guyot with around 18 buds. More recent systems have increased the number of vines per hectare. As a consequence, there are fewer buds, around 10 to 12. The vine is not very vigorous, given that the first two buds are unproductive. Expanded forms of cultivation are excluded.

SOILThe soil is of certain glacial origin. The descent of ice and the detritus it carried towards the valley formed an amphitheatre of moraine hills, leaving the Lugana basin in its wake.This land is made up of separate strata of sediment and, seen in cross-section, the soil appears to have been formed by innumerable relatively thin strata of loamy clay, with an initial stratum of 60/80 cm of rough clay.The so-called “leopard’s spots” structure is typical, since the clay content of the soil varies a lot from place to place.

Golden, warm, intense straw yellow.Wrapping, immediate exotic notes. It develops in a very pleasant fashion, good mineral impressionTruly fine wine, though with a determined character. Rich, unfaltering and well balanced for a truly satisfactory palate. Obstinate, mineral wine with a superb pulp

S. Benedetto di Lugana. The grapes are harvested exclusively from our own vineyards; harvesting is strictly manual in small 17kg-crates. Guyot, double arc. Late harvesting, brief maceration on the peel, fermenting; partly in controlled temperature steel vats and partly in large wooden crates.

Pairings

Sea or lake fish to bring out its outstanding features; goes well with white meat and soup, and has quite a surprising affinity with tasty cheese.